You know you are in Europe when .

I recognize that the majority of my blogs are serious topics, so in order to switch it up I am doing a light-hearted piece on what most of your favorite WNBA players are experiencing overseas right now. Before I continue, please allow me to say that in no way am I trying to insult anyone from Europe. I have absolutely loved every team and country that I have had the opportunity to play in and I think that Americans could learn a lot from each of these countries.

But with that said:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN EUROPE WHEN . . . . .

– the plane touches down and everyone starts to clap– the passenger 10 rows back gets up as soon as you get to the gate and tries to push their way to get off the plane first– your plane never actually pulls up to a gate, but instead you wait for everyone to disembark and get on a passenger bus only to take you the 10 feet that separates your plane from the actual airport.– somehow at 6-foot-5 I become invisible, as people apparently do not see me standing right in front of them and try to push right through me—there is no concept of personal space or the phrase “excuse me”– there are more Smart Cars than SUVs on the highways– all traffic laws become optional– you find yourself eating lunch at 2:00 and dinner at 10:00– your socks are forever hard and crusty because there are no clothes dryers– Coke tastes like Pepsi– “Going for coffee” will take at least two hours– the “non-smoking section” is in the middle of the “smoking section”– you have to sleep in the fetal position because your king size bed is really about the size of a twin – your laptop is as big a the TV screen in your hotel room– nothing is open on Sunday – you practice twice a day, every day . . . just because– after getting your 5th foul, you realize what a luxury it is to have 6 in the WNBA– taking an on-side step to start a drive or doing a spin move at the end of a play is traveling, but the five steps you take at the end of the drive are not?– when someone says they will do it “tomorrow” that really doesn’t mean the following day . . .it refers to some approximate date in the future.

All jokes aside, I love being back in Athens with my teammates and coaches at Athinaikos as we try to defend our Greek and EuroCup titles!!!